Best PayPal Alternatives for Businesses

These days, it's become crucial for businesses to be able handle online international transactions of all kinds, from accepting payments via flexible methods to invoicing, reconciliation, SWIFT transfers, and even payroll. And while businesses often rely on PayPal for some of these services, the platform can often be pricey when it comes to anything FX-related, which could leave you scratching your head and looking for alternatives.

Fortunately, there are indeed several alternatives to PayPal for Business in the form of multi-currency accounts that can be handy for your online business. As we'll see in this guide, choosing the correct multi-currency account can help your business to handle international payments affordably, quickly, and painlessly!

That said, it's also worth mentioning that none of the services mentioned in this guide are necessarily complete alternatives to PayPal which should be used to replace the service altogether. PayPal is one of the most popular payment gateways out there, and it cannot be replaced by a Wise or a Payoneer (which instead offer a related but distinct set of services). Instead, if your business already uses PayPal, it's a better idea to think of the alternatives in this article as complementary with PayPal (especially for foreign currency transactions) rather than excluding it altogether.

So, without further do, let's read on to see our picks for the market's best alternatives to PayPal for Business:

Wise: Best for Entrepreneurs

Wise Business is, without a doubt, a world-class platform for international transactions, with its money transfer technology often driving the cheapest cross-border payments provider on our comparison engine. Next to its much-loved personal money transfer service, Wise also offers Wise Business, which integrates Wise's famous money transfer app and online account with a suite of business-focused solutions such as invoicing, reconciliation, and more, putting it on par with PayPal when it comes to overall capability.

Primary costs:

• Account opening: $0 (US, Singapore, Japan, Australia, New Zealand), £45 (UK), €50 (EU), CHF 55 (Switzerland)
• Sending international payments: 0.4% - 1%
• Receiving international payments: Approx. $4.10
• ATM withdrawals*: 2%

Available: European Union/European Economic Area, United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

Unique solutions:

• Bank account details in 10 currencies: AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, HUF, NZD, RON, SGD, TRY, and USD
• Built-in bookkeeping workflow (integrated with Xero and QuickBooks)
• Easy invoicing with templates
• Batch payments (up to 1,000 recipients at once)

Max transfer limit: $3 million daily transfer limit and $15 million yearly transfer limit

Main differences to PayPal: Although both companies provide both domestic and international payments, Wise is famous for its low currency exchange fees, whereas PayPal is far more famous for processing transactions in the same currency. PayPal for Business also offers financing plans and access to credit, whereas Wise Business does not.

Best for: Self-employed professionals, sole proprietors, entrepreneurs, and start-ups, because of its low barrier to entry and low costs to operate and manage international payments. We recommend Wise especially for sending smaller bank transfers up to $10,000 to international bank accounts, as the platform is particularly well-priced for these transfers.

More info: See our full Wise Business review or visit the website.

* Over USD 100 per month, otherwise free.

Revolut: Best for Growing Businesses

Revolut is an online bank and fintech company (depending on the country) that serves over 12 million personal customers globally. Its business solution is called Revolut Business, and it brings all of the affordability and ease of use that's made its personal offering famous into the business world by offering excellent FX rates and a user-friendly interface with accounting and payroll solutions, FX risk management, rewards, a multi-currency account, spend management, and much more. Revolut Business is quite different from PayPal for Business, though switching from PayPal to Revolut for international payments and multi-currency transactions is certainly a smart move for most businesses as it will save a lot in fees and exchange rates over the long run.

Primary costs:

• Account opening: $0
• Sending international payments: $5 (or currency equivalent) + FX margin (usually 0.4% to 1%)
• Receiving international payments: 1% + $0.20

Available: European Union/European Economic Area, United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, Japan, and Australia.

Unique solutions:

• Bank account details in 2 currencies: USD and GBP
• Integrated with Xero, Slack, and QuickBooks)
• Team collaboration and permissions
• Business API integrations (on paid plans)
• Supports multiple methods to receive payments
• Forward contracts

Transaction limits: 2,000 payments per day and 5,000 payments per week

Main differences to PayPal: Revolut Business is more of a one-stop shop for online payments that integrates basic banking features and business-related solutions. PayPal is more of a payment solution that customers and clients worldwide already use. PayPal for Business also offers financing plans and access to credit, whereas Revolut Business does not.

Best for: Established or growing businesses with a steady and consistent cash flow will benefit most from Revolut Business' broad array of solutions and features available on its paid plans, e.g. team management and forward contracts. Its free business plan (and Freelancer plans) are a good option for smaller businesses, although they're more limited than Wise Business' corresponding offering.

More info: See our full Revolut Business review or visit their website.

Payoneer: Best for E-Commerce

A well-known PayPal alternative, Payoneer provides businesses with digital payment services, access to working capital, money transfers, and access to local bank details. Your three account numbers will support GBP, USD, EUR, and five other currencies so that you can pay and get paid like a local in those currencies. Because it seamlessly integrates with some of the world’s leading marketplaces in so many currencies, we think Payoneer is the ideal choice for any small business, freelancer, or company working in the borderless e-commerce market.

Primary costs:

• Account opening: $0
• Withdrawing from a foreign currency to a US bank: Up to 2%
• Accepting card payments: 3%
• Debit card fee: $29.95 per year

Available: Globally

Unique solutions:

• Request payments from clients in just a few clicks
• Multi-currency account to handle transactions in 120 currencies
• Choose three bank account details from an available 9 currencies
• Pay VAT directly from your Payoneer account

Transaction limits: 30 withdrawals daily with a $5,000 limit and 30 POS transactions daily with a $2,500 limit

Main difference between PayPal and Payoneer: Although both PayPal and Payoneer support and process domestic and international payments, Payoneer is the specialist in this regard, generally offering better fees and exchange rates on international payments in particular. On the other hand, PayPal for Business is more of an all-rounder: while it facilitates payments, it also offers a suite of other services such as loans and its popular payment gateway.

Best for: E-commerce businesses and other businesses that handle many transactions daily in many countries and currencies. For these businesses in particular, we think Payoneer's global infrastructure is especially good to help you do business in the world’s largest and most far-reaching online marketplaces. Its added bonus of low fees for international money transfers also makes Payoneer an ideal solution for those hoping to expand their reach into an international customer base.

More info: See our full Payoneer review or visit their website.

Find the Best PayPal Alternatives for Business

As we mentioned in the beginning, there sadly isn't any single provider the best alternative to PayPal for Business in every instance. Overall, depending on your company's individual needs and preferences, many platforms could provide you with what you're looking for cheaply, quickly, and safely.

However, that being said, there is nothing wrong with opening more than one multi-currency account with multiple providers to take advantage of their respective strengths! For example, you could easily use Payoneer for local payments in different currencies and make international payments with Wise. You could then also continue using PayPal for its payment gateway or for its various other business solutions. In this way, you can use the individual advantages of both providers and save money in the long term.

If you're from the US or UK, take a look at our more comprehensive guides to business banking below:

• UK's best online business bank accounts
• UK's best accounts for sole traders
• US's best small business checking accounts

If you're looking for the cheapest international money transfer provider for your business, run a search on our real time comparison engine below and save up to 95% in fees compared to using the bank: